Tag Archives for 3d printing

3d printing is one of the best things that ever happened to manufacturing. Whether you are a small shop that handles a couple of requests every month, or a large industrial complex that routinely supplies parts for other businesses, you have a lot to look forward to from the process. However, it bears noting that the system can also tot up quite significant costs; the initial capital outlay required in the purchase of 3d printers, for instance, is already something that merits a lot of consideration. So if you hope to adopt 3d printing into your business, how do you make sure that you can keep the costs as minimal as possible without compromising on the quality of the results? Consider these pointers.

Choose a good manufacturer

First and foremost, remember that the value of the investment that you put into 3d printing will largely rely on the quality of the printer that you buy. For that reason, it is important to choose an established manufacturer, with a proven track record of delivering top-of-the-line products and guidance for their clients. Always look into company background and history, and supplement that with reading what previous clients have said about the company. Additionally, check if your prospective brand has contributed to the knowledge base that exists on the technology, as it is always better to work with companies that are committed to improving their processes and products continuously to further enrich the experiences of their customers.

Streamline your processes

It is also critical that you constantly evaluate your processes so that you are sure of maximum potential efficiency. Running iterations, for instance, is one of the best ways that you can guarantee the quality of the final print. Yes, you may use up materials as you go through each cycle but doing this is better than printing your product only to find that you will have to go back to the design to make modifications. In addition, make sure that your printer is calibrated to run well. If you have other devices working with it such as 3d scanners, you will want to ensure that the two equipment are compatible with each other, at all times. Staff should also work closely, especially if there are requests for changes, so that the workflow can start and end with minimal downtimes.

Invest in team training

Finally, get your team trained. Training should be secured at the purchase of the printer, and it has to once again be made available if there are updates to the operation of the printer, or if you’re adding new people to your team. If your people know what they should be doing with 3d printing, you will find that there will be fewer mistakes to spend to fix.